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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25573717">It's A Small World After All</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SUW_5503/pseuds/SUW_5503'>SUW_5503</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Established Relationship, F/M, Good Morgana (Merlin), M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:53:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,108</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25573717</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SUW_5503/pseuds/SUW_5503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A visiting king from a distant country across the sea is arriving with his daughter, who is a potential marriage partner for Arthur. Being dangled in front of different kings and queens and their children by Uther like a juicy cut of meat is already annoying as is for Arthur, but throw in his new (“I don’t know what to call this yet Merlin, it hasn’t even been a week and we can’t exactly call this a relationship considering we have to hide this from my father, so just leave labels out of this for the moment”) thing with Merlin and it becomes extremely vexing. It truly makes him question how much he wants to be the eventual king of Camelot if he can’t truly be with the one he lov-likes (they’ve only been official for like a week, they’re not there yet).<br/>However, this new visiting princess is like no one he’s ever encountered before. Putting on top of that the fact that his manservant somehow knows the aforementioned princess makes things all the more interesting.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>It's A Small World After All</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first fic so sorry if it's not the best. I'm still trying to work out the formatting. Any suggestions/tips are welcome:)</p>
<p>Also I will add more tags, warnings, etc. as I go</p>
<p>I don't own any of the Merlin TV show characters, just borrowing them</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur was not having the best of days so far. First, he had woken up almost an hour late, which was bad on a normal day, but since a visiting king and his daughter were arriving in the morning on this particular day, it was even more so. To make matters worse, he couldn’t entirely blame Merlin like he normally would for his waking up late considering he had wholeheartedly contributed to the nightly activities that had kept him and said manservant up. Hence the sleeping in. </p>
<p>Which brings up point number two on why Arthur was not having a good morning. He and Merlin did finally wake up, thanks to Gwen (they actually did need to thank her at some point because if she hadn’t come in to see what was taking the prince and his manservant so long then Uther might have and then Arthur <em> really </em>would not have been having a good morning). However, Arthur and Merlin really weren’t prepared to break the news of their newfound thing just yet, especially at nine in the morning, half asleep, nude, with a gobsmacked Guinevere staring at them with wide eyes.</p>
<p>Thank the Gods that Gwen was nothing if not exceptional at handling the unexpected. She simply blinked her eyes and shook her head and promptly told Arthur and Merlin how late they were and that they better hurry up and get ready to greet the oncoming party.</p>
<p>As soon as the door closed, Arthur rounded on Merlin and lobed a pillow at him only to find that the raven haired man was already up and dressing frantically. </p>
<p>“Merlin,” Arthur said with no response from the aforementioned man, who was struggling to put on his left boot. </p>
<p>“Merlin,” Arthur tried again. Said manservant was now looking around the room for some missing article of clothing. The prince sighed and heaved himself out of bed, kicking at the bed sheets tangled around his calves. As Merlin turned towards him, Arthur grabbed him by the shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. He squeezed them again when Merlin avoided his gaze.</p>
<p>“<em> Mer- </em>lin,” his manservant finally looked up, “relax.” Merlin’s eyebrows scrunched together.</p>
<p>“I am. I’m fine. I’m- I just- Where is my neckerchief?! I can’t go greet your potential new wife with your marks all over my neck.” He shook off Arthur’s hands and continued his search for the missing piece of fabric. Arthur turned around and leveled him with a look he couldn’t see. Merlin popped up from under the bed clutching his neckerchief with a triumphant “Aha!” and a grin that wavered when he glimpsed Arthur’s expression.</p>
<p>“Don’t look at me like that,” Merlin groused. </p>
<p>“I can look at you however I want, I am the prince after all,” Arthur said smugly, grinning when his retort got the desired reaction out of his manservant. </p>
<p>“Is that what’s wrong?” Arthur questioned. </p>
<p>“Huh?” Merlin said, looking up from the red fabric to meet Arthur’s eye. </p>
<p>“The visiting princess being my ‘potential wife’? Is that what’s wrong?” Arthur asked again as he sat next to Merlin. Merlin looked over at him and sighed.</p>
<p>“Arthur I-” his sentence got interrupted by a sharp knock on the door and Gaius’ head poking in.</p>
<p>“Do take your time you two. It’s not like you’re needed to greet our visitors who are arriving at any minute.” Gaius barked out, not even bothering to address the fact that he knew where his assistant had been spending his past few nights. He hardly had the time for it at the moment anyway. Neither man moved. Gaius sighed. He <em> really </em>didn’t have the time for this.</p>
<p>“Merlin! Either help his highness get ready or get out and let him dress himself!” This snapped them both out of whatever state they were in and they both started hustling about the room. Gaius gave a nod and a “hmmp!” and promptly shut the door. Merlin glanced over at Arthur and a sudden blush filled his face. </p>
<p>“Arthur?” Merlin questioned. </p>
<p>“What?!” Arthur snapped without looking up from his wardrobe, finally realizing that he had better hurry up and become presentable before Uther came to find his son.</p>
<p>“Um, please tell me you just got out of your nightshirt and you weren’t naked this entire time.” Merlin rushed out. Arthur whipped his head up out of his wardrobe and quickly glanced down at himself, a pink flush flooding his cheeks. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Somehow Arthur and Merlin managed to make it to the Castle steps where the greeting party was waiting before the guests arrived, if only just so. Arthur could see their carriages cresting the horizon being escorted by knights of Camelot. That gave him a couple minutes to shove his worry about Merlin and their earlier conversation to the back of his head. He needed to focus on being the perfect prince for his father, especially since he had been acting noticeably different the past week. Uther finding out about the new development in his relationship with Merlin would not help anything. He already disapproved of Arthur’s closeness and reliance on his manservant. He would always have time that night after everyone had retired to their rooms to talk to Merlin and reaffirm the fact that he was the one Arthur wanted, not some foreign princess.</p>
<p>Arthur got pulled out of his thoughts by his father’s booming voice. </p>
<p>“Edwin! My dear friend, it has been too long since we last saw each other,” his father bellowed at the man dismounting a large, tawny horse. The visiting king was a bit shorter than his father and a good bit wider. He was well on his way to being bald and was wearing a large, seemingly genuine smile. King Edwin was adorned in the colors of his house: a maroon tunic and matching trousers, with a black jacket, boots, and gloves topped off with a dark gray cloak and silver accents. On top of his head stood a simple silver circlet, just enough to dignify his rank. </p>
<p>“Uther, it is so good to see a familiar face after this long journey through unfamiliar lands. Although not that familiar eh,” Edwin said jokingly, elbowing his father and chuckling good naturedly. “It has been almost 25 years since we last saw each other. All in all, I think you’ve favored far better through time than I have,” the King said, bringing a full laugh out of himself with that sentence. Uther smiled along with him and actually seemed to be amused by King Edwin’s antics. </p>
<p>“Arthur, why don’t you go help princess Avalina out of her carriage,” Uther said, nodding his head towards the remainder of the oncoming entourage. Arthur made his way towards the carriage and went to grab the door when it was pushed open from the inside, nearly smacking him in the head. He heard a small chuckle from behind him and turned to see Merlin and Gwen with their hands covering their mouths and Morgana smirking at him, her eyes sparkling with mirth. </p>
<p>“Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry your Majesty,” an apologetic voice said. Arthur turned back around to see the woman who opened the door wearing an apologetic expression. </p>
<p>“No apologies needed my lady, it was nothing,” Arthur said, reaching for her hand for a kiss. She jerked her hand back and stared at him with wide eyes.</p>
<p>“Ummm, your highness what are you doing, I’m not-,” her sentence got cut off by a voice behind Arthur.</p>
<p>“It’s alright Sarah, the prince simply mistook you for me, and you can hardly blame him considering you were riding in my carriage. I can take it from here, go help the others with my things please, you know they’re lost without you,” the elegant voice chuckled good naturedly and the girl Arthur mistook for the princess smiled graciously and bowed before scurrying away.</p>
<p>Arthur turned to see a woman dismounting from astride a great, black stallion. She patted the horse's neck and handed off the reins to a waiting knight. Arthur took in her appearance and noticed she was dressed in similar attire to her father, save she wore a dress instead of pants and trousers. Her dark brown hair was in a simple half-down look and she wore a silver circlet with rubies laid throughout. She turned to him, smiled, and offered her hand. He placed a kiss upon it and returned her smile.</p>
<p>“I didn't mean to have you mistake my handmaiden for me your highness, it’s just I so much prefer riding horseback to carriages. If you will be kind enough to forgive me. Although I will admit it did add some mild entertainment to my morning, so I do hope you’re not too upset about it,” she said, finishing with another smile. Arthur returned this one as well.</p>
<p>“There is nothing to forgive my lady. I’m glad it brought you some pleasure.” Arthur offered his arm to her and she accepted, sidling up to walk side by side with him. </p>
<p>“I’ve been looking forward to this trip for some time. My father often talks of Camelot and your father. Apparently they used to be quite the troublemakers when they were together. I was so happy to finally be able to visit a place that brought my father so much joy,” princess Avalina said, looking around at her surroundings.</p>
<p>“I hope it lives up to your expectations,” Arthur said. The princess returned her gaze to him.</p>
<p>“I’m sure it will highly exceed them.” The princess settled her eyes on the greeting party, glancing over at her father and Uther, then Morgana, and then finally Gwen and Merlin. The moment she settled on Merlin, she froze and her body tensed.</p>
<p>“Merlin?” she questioned, her eyes widening and gazing at his manservant disbelievingly. The man in question had been focusing mostly on Morgana’s conversation with King Edwin, trying to ignore the image of Arthur with a princess on his arm. He looked over at the mention of his name from a voice he couldn't quite place. He took in the rich maroon clothing and silver circlet before settling on the princesses face. </p>
<p>“Ava?” he gasped. Arthur, who had been watching the exchange with a furrowed brow, became even more confused as his manservant addressed princess Avalina with such a familiar title. </p>
<p>“By the Gods, it is you. Oh my, Merlin!” the princess exclaimed delightedly before detaching herself from Arthur. Avalina ran and threw her arms around Merlin, who laughed merrily and returned the hug. Arthur watched the whole thing play out with a shocked expression. How on earth did Merlin know a visiting princess from a distant kingdom across the sea?</p>
<p>Uther and Edwin turned at the sound of Merlin and Avalina’s loud greeting. Uther immediately charged over at the sight of a servant touching royalty with such casualty. The King grabbed Merlin’s arm and yanked him away from the princess, all the while bellowing at Merlin. Arthur started forward to rescue him from his father and mediate the situation when he was beaten to it by none other than princess Avalina.</p>
<p>“How <em>dare </em> you manhandle one of your own citizens like that, let alone one of my oldest friends. He was doing nothing wrong, I was the one who initiated the contact,” she stated, while simultaneously reaching to detach Uther from Merlin. The king pulled his arm away and tightened his grip, causing Merlin to wince. Arthur started forward again against his better judgment, only stopping at the subtle raise of Merlin’s hand and Morgana stepping forward to link her arm through his.</p>
<p>“I know you want to help Arthur, but you’ll only make things worse. Uther doesn’t like you standing up for Merlin on any normal day. Do you really think he’ll appreciate you undermining his authority in front of visiting nobility,” Morgana whispered in his ear. </p>
<p>“No,” Arthur muttered unwillingly. </p>
<p>“Besides,” Morgana said with a smirk, “I think our guests have it handled.” Arthur looked at where King Edwin had one hand on Uther’s shoulder and the other on his daughters. He seemed to be trying to placate Uther while simultaneously holding back his daughter from doing anything too rash.</p>
<p>“Uther, my daughter meant no disrespect, she is simply very protective of those she cares about,” King Edwin started, but quickly backtracked at the noise of outrage from his daughter. “Avalina, my darli-,” </p>
<p>“I don’t know who it is you’re defending, but it is most certainly <em> not </em> your dear friend Uther you told me so much about. I think you were mistaken father when you said Uther hadn’t changed much these last 25 years. I’m surprised you recognize him at all. The kind man you described would have never treated someone this way, friend of nobility or not,” Avalina raised a judgmental eyebrow at her father before turning her gaze to level Uther with a scathing look. </p>
<p>“Child, you have no idea what it's like to run a kingdom. I am not the ignorant prince I once was when your father knew me all those years ago,” Uther retorted, “I am also most certainly not the kind of King who lets servants fraternize with nobility. They exist to do what is asked of them without question, nothing more.” When his father finished his scathing statement, Arthur looked around and realized their argument was drawing some attention. He prayed that one of them would give in or that King Edwin would be able to calm them. Although at the moment, it did not look too likely. </p>
<p>“Well then by your barbaric rules Merlin did nothing wrong as I was the one who initiated the contact. Since Merlin is just an object who can give no consent then he was just doing what I requested of him with no questions asked,” Avalina responded with a taunting grin. Uther seemed to have no reply ready to that statement and King Edwin took advantage of his father’s silence and pulled him away, whispering some sort of placation in his ears. </p>
<p>Arthur finally made his way to Merlin, gently grabbing the arm his father had gripped so tightly. He pulled up the sleeve to see a dark red mark that he knew would leave a nasty bruise. Hopefully Gaius had a poultice that would help, or maybe Merlin could use his magic to heal the bruise altogether (although that was probably not a good idea, considering he did not want to give his father any reason to suspect Merlin of sorcery). </p>
<p>Arthur’s eyes settled on Merlin’s face. He looked understandably overwhelmed. Arthur checked to see who all was watching and saw that everyone had already moved on with their lives now that the show was over. With that in mind he chanced putting his arm over his shoulder and hoped it just looked like two good friends from an outsider looking in. Merlin looked up at him gratefully and subtly leaned in. Arthur was about to ask him if he was okay when he was interrupted by Morgana.</p>
<p>“Well as far as first impressions go, I feel it could have gone a bit better. Although I don't remember the last time I had such an entertaining morning,” Morgana joked, trying and partially succeeding in lightening the mood. Princess Avalina turned back around from where she had been talking with one of the knights from her kingdom. She gave a sheepish smile.</p>
<p>“I fear I may have gone a bit overboard. Although I do not regret standing up for my friend, I do wish I had handled it with a bit more grace and elegance. I couldn't help but let my emotions take control,” Avalina finished her statement by reaching out and taking Merlin’s hand. Merlin slipped himself out from under Arthur’s arm and pulled her into a hug. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” Merlin muttered sincerely when he backed away from Avalina, squeezing both of her hands in his. </p>
<p>“I think that may have been the first time I’ve ever seen my father bested in an argument. Maybe it can’t hurt him to be knocked down a peg or two every once in a while,” Arthur said with a grin. Merlin gasped dramatically.</p>
<p>“Don’t tell me I just heard words of treason slip from the crown prince’s lips,” Merlin said with mock surprise. Arthur chuckled and elbowed his manservant, happy to have put a smile on his face.</p>
<p>“Never.”</p>
<p>“So how did you two come to know each other,” Morgana asked, drawing the attention away from Arthur and Merlin’s antics. She gestured between Avalina and Merlin.</p>
<p>“Ah, yes. Well it is quite the story,” Avalina said, grinning at Merlin. He rolled his eyes at her.</p>
<p>“Don’t lie to them. You make it appear much more dramatic than it actually is.”</p>
<p>“Oh do allow me some fun every now and then Merlin.”</p>
<p>“My apologies, your highness,” interjected the knight princess Avalina had been talking to earlier. “Your father wishes to talk to you in his chambers.”</p>
<p>“I wonder what it is that he wishes to talk about.”</p>
<p>“Not a clue, my lady,” the knight replied with a small joking smile. </p>
<p>“Well, it appears we will have to finish this discussion at another time. After dinner perhaps,” she asked.</p>
<p>“Of course. We could meet in Arthur’s chambers,” Merlin said, glancing at Arthur for confirmation. He nodded. He did hope he would have some time alone with Merlin at some point soon to make sure he was really alright from his encounter with his father.</p>
<p>“Hopefully you can wait until tonight to learn of Merlin and I’s grand backstory. Patience is a virtue after all,” Avalina said with a wink. She bowed, and then linked arms with her knight. “Do pray for me,” she joked in parting. Then her and the unnamed knight made their way up the steps and into the castle.</p>
<p>“We better go in, I’m sure Uther will request a word with us at some point. There’s also much to do in preparation for the feast tonight,” Morgana said. “I need to go find Gwen as well. She ran off at some point during the entertainment this morning. I’ll bet you she ran off to tell the knights what happened. Looks like you’ll have plenty of guests in your chambers tonight Arthur,” Morgana said, before smiling and nodding her farewell. </p>
<p>Then, as they had started that morning, it was once again Arthur and Merlin. </p>
<p>“Not even noon yet, and already such an eventful day. Do you think we’ll make it to tonight,” Arthur asked. </p>
<p>“Only one way to find out,” Merlin replied. Arthur offered his arm, and together they made their way into the castle. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the complete first chapter. Any changes I make after this will just be for grammar or misspelling. I hope to update this at least once a week. Hope you enjoyed it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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